FIREFANGED

Chapter 22 (The Best Part)

Outside my window, a late afternoon sun warmed the courtyard while a blurring staccato rhythm of dark metal striking against dark metal lulled me into a light sleep. Raven had stayed by my side throughout the afternoon. With her exile rescinded and my sentinel enlistment ceremony at hand, we had talked about each other's plans for the future.

I had been sure that Raven would be leaving soon with Andy. She had a place in the House of Ylamil, and her family wanted her there. I'd seen the hole the King's exile had carved into her heart, but I also expected her broken heart to heal—to forgive the unforgivable.

In my heart, I knew that I wanted to continue our betrothal. A connection like that held so much value for both of us, as scarred and disjointed as we were. Sure, we had only known each other for mere days, but I had shown Rae my ugliest side, and she had reached out for me just as I had tried to aid her in her darkest time. I vowed that I would always try to protect her and knew, given the chance, that she would do the same for me.

I was the last of my line. I intended to start a new House and wanted her to be a big part of it. "The best part" was her response. Her beauty and her surety took my breath away. I told her so. That earned me a kiss, which removed all doubt about my recent decisions.

Finally, we touched on a sensitive subject. Raven was all too familiar with Yseria Warric and knew that she could be serious trouble. Yser wasn't family to anyone, a rogue, and that was grounds for conflict in the eyes of the dark elves.

Yseria had been permanently severed from her line by the death of her parents. She was doing her best to survive. I respected her effort and connected with her on a level that many others had ignored. She deserved my protection, and she would have it.

Raven confirmed the tale of Jordarion's death and how it had driven a wedge between Andarion, the master, and Yseria, the student. Yseria had been betrothed to Andy's brother Jordarion. With Jordy's death from the bite of a spider-demon, she lost not only her love but her chance for a lasting connection to another dark elf line.

The fact that she had been Andarion's understudy with the sword might have been some help. There was a shared respect between them. But training together reminded them both of their terrible loss. They hadn't spoken honestly to each other in over a year. The steady rhythm of strikes and counterstrikes in the courtyard below gave me hope that maybe they had gotten to the point of reconnecting.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, I slept, Raven's hand covering mine.

Sometime later, Doctor Loeb checked in on us both. A full day of rest and decent food had done wonders for my physical well-being. I could almost stand up straight again, and my calf had finally stopped leaking blood. As for my voice, I was almost back to me.

Lynda arrived shortly before dusk to invite us—Rae, Andarion, Yseria, and me—to an informal dinner in their keep's dining room. Her brother had arrived with the Duke's contingent, and we could meet him as soon as we got dressed.

###

Meryl Snow was vastly different from his father, and his role as a liaison in the Duke of Stonnberg's court seemed a great fit. He was tall and thin with intense green eyes, reddish-blonde hair, and an engaging smile. As opposed to many of us in the dining room, he was entirely unarmed, that is, if his charm wasn't a weapon.

"My sister has told me much about you, Raven, but she hasn't mentioned that you have a sister—and a striking one at that." Meryl turned his smile towards Yseria. He was wedged between the two dark elves, sitting across the table from Raven and me.

Knowing the rivalry she felt, I reached for Raven's hand beneath the table and squeezed it gently in a plea for support.

Rae spoke with a nod toward Yser, who was utterly bewildered by Meryl's compliment. "While she isn't actually my sister, Meryl, we are closely connected through family and friends. In fact, it was my father, King Ylamil, that recommended her as a bodyguard for my betrothed."